Unboxing Accessibility: The Dangers of a Restricted View

In many technology spaces, accessibility has become almost synonymous with WCAG Level AA compliance, limiting its scope to the end-user aspects of websites and apps. This narrow focus, driven by ableism, overlooks the fact that WCAG is merely the floor—not the ceiling—and restricts recognizing that accessibility is needed in all areas, from smart appliances to content creation tools and even hiring practices. By only addressing digital compliance, we risk doing significant work that still leaves people out of essential parts of life. To truly achieve inclusion, we must broaden our view of accessibility beyond the screen.